2 Corinthians 2:7 so that, on the contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow
Without God’s love behind our actions we are just making noise. There is no human righteous but One…Jesus Christ, all God yet all man, who redeemed us by His own blood. It was shed for us in the new and everlasting Covenant with God and mankind. To God alone all glory and honor belong. Carla
Jude 1:22
20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. (NKJV)
Jude concludes his letter with exuberant praise for the Lord, who alone could keep the readers from being deceived. Stumbling probably refers to the possibility of being tripped up by the false teachers’ errors. Note that Jude does not use the word falling, but stumbling. Only a person who is already walking or running (frequent biblical images of the Christian life) can stumble (Galatians 5:7; 1 Thessalonians 4:1; Hebrews 12:1; 1 John 2:6). God is able to keep us from stumbling (Psalm 37:23, 24; 121:3; Proverbs 4:11, 12). He guards us in this life, despite all the dangers and pitfalls that deceivers put in our way. Faultless is a Greek word used of sacrificial animals that had no blemish and thus were fit to be offered to God. Only God can save us, cleanse us from our sins, and present us to Himself as faultless, for God is the Author and Perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). The NKJV Study Bible
False teaching can cause those who are uncertain about what they believe (or those with less discernment) to be misled, even to the point of doubting Jesus’ return (2 Peter 3:4). Rather than decide that they are lost, believers should lovingly convince doubters to return to true faith in Jesus.
Christians should not be passive about rebuking falsehood; firm rebuke is affirmed in Jude 23 and by the overall context of the letter. Jude has also already affirmed the inevitable fate of the false teachers-judgment will surely come because of their lack of repentance, indicating that they are not the subject here. Thus in this verse Jude seems to be referencing those who are uncertain about their beliefs and who are at risk of being misled by false teachings (2 Peter 2:2; 2 Peter 2:18). Jude could also have in view those who claim to know Jesus but lack discernment (Hebrew 6:4).
False teachers are on the path to experiencing God’s wrath (Jude 4). Those being misled by false teachings could suffer the same fate. Christians are thus to take an active role in drawing doubters away from false teachings and toward truth. With fear may refer to the need for caution when engaging with those who have succumbed to false teachings, lest the doubters mislead the person attempting to help them. It could also be that the fear of God, who will bring judgment, is in view.
Jude evokes the metaphor of a long garment, worn close to the skin, being tainted by its use. Christians are to loathe how sinfulness, brought on by listening to false teachings, has ruined the lives of those who did not resist. Jude concludes with a doxology expressing praise and blessing to God. Faithlife Study Bible
We are, every single one of us, wounded. That is a gift.
We are, every single one of us, broken. And that is a gift.
We are every single one of us, blessedly human, and no one of us is on this journey alone. That too, is a gift.
Yes, I know. It doesn't always feel that way. I look, but don’t see any gift. Because I see brokenness and woundedness as impediments, or disabilities, to be tidied up, overcome, or prayed away.
What I don’t see, is the invitation to befriend my brokenness, and embrace the beauty and wonder.
I will admit that there is comfort donning my cape, morphing into Mr. Tidy OCD, an emotional life fix-it hero. And I know why. It distracts and protects me, because there’s a part of me that is afraid to pause, reluctant to befriend my scattered and wounded self. Afraid to let myself be loved for being this wonderfully messy, imperfect me. Grace, it turns out, is WD40 for the soul.
We don’t see the gift, because we’ve been marinated in a narrative of scarcity (“I am not enough”). It is no surprise that we ascribe beauty to only the uncluttered, and success to only the strong or powerful.
There was a farmer who grew excellent quality wheat and every season he won the award for the best grown in his county. One year a newspaper reporter interviewed the farmer, and learned that each Spring the man shared his seed with his neighbors, so that they too could plant it in their fields.
“How can you afford to share your best wheat seed with your neighbors when they are entering their crops in the competition with yours?” the reporter asked.
“Why that's very simple,” the farmer explained. “The wind picks up pollen from the developing wheat and carries it from field to field. If my neighbors grow inferior wheat, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of all the wheat, including mine. If I am to grow good wheat, I must help my neighbors grow good wheat.”
Amen. That’ll preach.
Here’s the deal: By planting and then sharing (spilling), we fight, and we resist contaminated “wheat” (shame, fear, small-mindedness, myopia, defensiveness, and callousness), with life-giving “wheat” (empathy, belonging, generosity, inclusion, reconciliation, and kindness).
From these places—sacred wounds—we speak truth, we do not need to pretend, or excuse.
We offer hope, we extend hands and hearts of compassion.
We see our connection with the lives of others around us, especially those broken or grieving or lost.
We see that they need a hand to hold. They need a voice. They need a sanctuary.
Whenever we love we are not alone. So, we wade-in, and stand in places of death and loss, and we find grace there. And if you see a hand that needs to be held today, please reach out. Sabbath Moments
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